And that has made all the difference
by Night Cross
Summary: The first time he sees her, Ichigo is still reeling from the tearing of his soul. She is no one. He walks on. A series of loosely related drabbles. Ichigo x OC
1. One

A/N: A series of loosely related, interconnected drabble and mini chapters (maybe actual chapters) with no timeline whatsoever. Set after the Winter War.

Criticisms are welcomed.

Follow me down the rabbit hole~

* * *

The first time he sees her, Ichigo is still reeling from the tearing of his soul. He feels empty in a way that he has not felt since his mother's passing. It doesn't hurt and he doesn't feel sad. No, he is far beyond that at this point. He is numb, to everything and everyone; from his allies to his friends to his _sisters_. His father tells him it will get better, that it will be hard but he will heal. It has been weeks and nothing has changed. He can see no end in sight.

He walks these days. For hours. For miles. He wanders aimlessly, listlessly. He walks merely to do something. Perhaps he will get lost. Perhaps he will walk straight out of this town. Perhaps he will walk until he reaches the edge of this world. Or perhaps, he walks ( _hopes_ ) to find what is missing.

The first time he sees her, Ichigo takes no notice. He is in a stage beyond mourning and he only registers people as objects to walk by, her included. His mind scans and inventories her as normal ( _not a threat_ ). In the split second his eyes take her in he categorizes her ( _dark hair, red and white, miko_ ) and dismisses her.

She is no one.

He walks on.

* * *

Welcome to Wonderland~


	2. Meetings

As always, criticisms are welcomed.

Follow me down the rabbit hole~

* * *

The second time he sees her is four months after the loss of his powers. It is still empty and he still feels numb but his father is right in that it does get better. He is empty but he can now find other things to fill it up: Yuzu and Karin, mainly. Everyone else tiptoes around him, as if he is about to break. Chad says nothing. He is not one to speak often but now he avoids all mentions of the spiritual world. Inoue gives him pity filled glances, face sad as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment. Uryuu is the best at interacting with him. He does not give mention of Hollows or Shinigami either but their relationship has always been prickly and full of barbs. It is easy to fall back into old patterns. The others, Tatsuki and Keigo and Mizuiro, treat him the same, if with kid gloves.

He still takes to walking. Even if things slowly become better he still feels that emptiness and there is an urge to fill it. This time he walks right by the stone steps of the beginning of a large amount of stairs that he knows leads to Karakura Shrine. It is one of three shrines, the smallest but oldest of the bunch and one that had been there since the very beginning of this town.

To Ichigo, before the loss of his powers, it is the one with the most untainted reishi. The air in and surrounding the temple is thick with purifying power not unlike Soul Society. It sat like a barrier, similar to the one the Visored had at their warehouse. There were no ghosts either from what Ichigo had seen the one time he had been there on a class trip. Neither, as far as he was aware, had a Hollow ever attacked it.

Ichigo does not pass by here frequently. It hurts too much. When he could still feel the power that lay here he was able to relax and let down his guard, if only for a moment. Now there is no sense of protection. But he chose to come by as a reminder of what had once been.

It is here he bumps into her. She is exiting, holding a bundle of cloth large enough that she cannot see over it. He is too lost in thought to notice. They crash and everything falls down. Ichigo bends to help her gather them, looking at her face when he hands what he has back. She is pretty, he notices. She is of average height, a head shorter than him with long black hair and pale skin. Her eyes are slightly large and grey in color. Everything is symmetrical about her face and he knows if Keigo were here he would be making a fool of himself before ranting about how lucky Ichigo was.

The miko gives him a shallow bow in thanks before they both continue on their way. She is still nothing to him and won't be for quite a while yet. He walks on.

* * *

Welcome to Wonderland~


	3. Hope

As always, criticisms are welcomed.

Follow me down the rabbit hole~

* * *

When next he meets her Ichigo is walking through the park. It is almost midnight and he is restless, unable to lay down much less sleep. He knows it is dangerous, that a Hollow could attack at any time and he would be powerless to stop it. But danger has never stopped him before, not even after his mother's death. Not even after he almost died.

So he wanders. There is something in the air. It is instinct that tells him this; instinct from years of honing it on bullies and delinquents who thought he would be an easy target. He is searching for it. It is not Hollow or Shinigami. It is something else and curiosity drives him on his quest. He walks on and on until he reaches the dense gathering of trees. He slips into them and by them much like a ghost: noiselessly, silently, with nary a rustle. He does not stop until he reaches the edge of a clearing. It is different here. There is complete silence and despite it being in the middle of July, he can hear nothing of the usual summer insects. It is almost completely dark in the thicket with none of the artificial lighting in the more popular parts of the park. There is a half-moon out tonight and although it does not give much light, somehow, someway, it lights up that clearing.

Ichigo recognizes the miko there. Her dark hair is tied back with a white ribbon that almost glows in the contrast of the shadowy background. She is again wearing the red hakama and white haori along with zori. This time she holds a bow in her hand. Ichigo watches as she lifts it and draws it back. There is no arrow but she is in position and within the next breath, releases.

His breath catches and his heart stutters as it misses a beat. Ichigo stands there, staring at the spot even long after she leaves. There was no arrow but he saw a glimmer of _something_.

~.~

Ichigo is lucky that it is summer break and he does not have class the next morning because he does not get home until close to dawn. He had spent the rest of the night running, more restless than he had started out. By the time he steps through the front door Ichigo has almost convinced himself that it was just the moonlight. His spiritual power is _gone_ and even if he aches for it he would do it all over again if he had to. But it does not crush the hope that blooms in his chest.

* * *

Welcome to Wonderland~


	4. World

Hm, this chapter did not turn out as I expected. Not entirely happy with it because it feels like I need to add something to it but there you go.

As always, criticisms are welcomed.

Follow me down the rabbit hole~

* * *

The world is strange, Ichigo later finds out. He already knew of course, what with being able, _used to be able_ , to see ghosts and later his adventures with Shinigami and Hollows. But his seeking of the miko has only reinforced his opinion of it.

He had dithered for days, trying not to get his hopes up but failing. Miserably. It is only when he feels like he is going to burst out of his skin that he recalls Zangetsu's words: _Abandon your fear. Move forward and never stop. You'll age if you pull back. You'll die if you hesitate_. It is that memory that drives him forward. Ichigo has never been one to waver. He chooses a path and places his faith in it.

It is one of the best decisions he has ever made.

The world, he finds, is inhabited by more than just human ghosts and Hollows. Every folktale, superstition and tradition is true. The stories and memories told by the _obaa-san_ and _ojii-san_ that come into the clinic have a grain of truth in them. There is a reason behind the traditions that are upheld. The world is full of youkai, spirits, and even gods. There is an _ame-warashi_ , curses, _tengu_ , fortunetellers and dream seers and one day he will meet them all.

But that day is not today. Today, Ichigo takes his first step onto the stone step leading to the temple.

* * *

Welcome to Wonderland~


	5. Name

I will most likely do a second part to this sometime in the future. Not sure when though.

As always, criticisms are welcomed.

Follow me down the rabbit hole~

* * *

His name is meant to be read as ' _one who protects_ ' and he has. He has done it again and again, given all he has and more until he burned out much like a star. It is not something he regrets and he is proud of his name.

Her name is read as ' _spring_ ,' not the season but a source of water. Ichigo thinks her name is even more fitting than his. Izumi has given back a part of himself. It is slow going but it is so much better than before. He drinks in everything she offers like a man dying of thirst. Izumi is a source of life and he covets her greedily.

* * *

Welcome to Wonderland~


	6. Explanation

As always, criticisms are welcomed.

Follow me down the rabbit hole~

* * *

It is nice, Ichigo thinks, to finally know what's happening. He should have lost all of Shinigami powers when he used the _Final Getsuga Tensho_ and yet he saw a glimmer of Izumi's powers.

"It should have taken longer," Fujiwara Kazuhiko, head of the temple and Izumi's older brother, explains. "You were supposed to have lost all your powers but somehow, a speck of it, like a tiny drop in a vast ocean, managed to remain. But having lost such a large amount, your body went into shock and it adapted to life without _reiryoku_. When that speck tried to regenerate, your body rejected it because it no longer recognized it. What should have happened was the process being repeated over and over again. Given time, your body would have eventually accepted it and you would have regained your Shinigami abilities. Why it is happening so quickly, well that is for someone far cleverer than I to say."

Ichigo nods. He finally has an explanation and someone who is willing to help. "How do I – " he trails off. He doesn't know how to ask for it or even what he's asking for. He only knows he wants it back.

"Work with Izumi," is the suggestion. "Most things she can handle but sometimes the requests we receive need two people. I would guess that the more active you are in using _reiryoku_ the quicker your body will adapt to it."

" _Thank you_ ," says Ichigo, heartfelt. After long months of drowning in despair he finally sees a light.

* * *

Welcome to Wonderland~


	7. Smile

As always, criticisms are welcomed.

Follow me down the rabbit hole~

* * *

Ichigo is not one to express his happiness openly. He frowns and scowls but rarely smiles or laugh. His sisters see it more than anyone else (he will never deny them anything) but even that is not often. However when he does it, he does it fully and heartily.

Izumi smiles less than he does. Her face is usually serene and calm, patient much like the rest of her family. But when she smiles it is faint, as if her face if not used to it. He catches glimpses of it shown to the _obaa-san_ and _ojii-san_ who came around, to her siblings, to the various spirits they meet. Her laughs are not loud either, not like he is used to from his family or friends. It is a faint, quiet huff and he is reminded to Byakuya more than anything. Izumi spends most of the time with her face set in a peaceful expression, the kind that tells people she is sure of herself and her place in the world.

The first time he sees her smiling widely is also the first time he does the same in her presence. They are on a job, dispelling a curse. Ichigo cannot see or sense it but instincts honed from years of fighting tell him that _something_ is there – and it is dangerous.

At this point in time Ichigo sees no reason for his existence as Izumi's partner. He cannot see or sense and therefore is useless when it comes to fighting or protecting her. But still he comes, struggling vainly to expand his awareness. So far, it hasn't worked.

Tonight he does the same, standing stock still and reaching out even as Izumi readies her bow. He watches her out of the corner of his eyes and whips around as she draws it. She does not use an arrow; she never does. Usually he sees her drawing and releasing air, not even the glimmer he first witnessed. Lately he sees the arrow reflected in her shadow. Tonight Ichigo watches as she creates an arrow out of her _reiryoku_ , shining pure white, pulsing with power. He watches as the arrow flies and hits something, dispersing and wrapping around what he guesses is the curse.

He throws his head back and laughs, pure joy spilling out of his mouth. He turns to Izumi, grinning widely and for the first time, sees her smiling back. On other nights, in any other occasion Ichigo would immediately scowl, embarrassed. But tonight he cannot help it. It is proof that he is regaining his abilities. Ichigo wants to shout, jump, move in his elation even if it is out of character for him.

He simply doesn't care. It is hope.

In the back of his mind, a microscopic thought forms, one he is not aware of and won't for awhile – _I want to make her smile again_.

* * *

Welcome to Wonderland~


End file.
